Featured Relics & Militaria
This is a totally rare German JG 26 schlageter [fighter squadron] vehicle pennant which is dated 1942 and with maker stamp as well all partly clear to see
The pennant still has its eagle and JG26 marking on each side again mostly clear to see, the pennant is very dirty and discoloured and with some damage from being buried at some point and later recovered but overall it is in very solid condition and has been carefully cleaned. The pennant still retains some original colours and is still perfect for display or any collection not braking up or falling apart and is 21 inches long by 11 inches wide at the wide point.
The pennant was found on a flea market in Flensburg there location of there final base in 1945.The time spent by Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) "Schlageter" at Flensburg Airfield lasted just five chaotic days, from May 3 to May 8, 1945. Despite the brief timeframe, their presence marked a significant and dramatic chapter in the final dissolution of the Luftwaffe
By May 1945, JG 26 was a fragment of its former self. Pushed out of airfield after airfield by the rapid British advance across northwest Germany, the wing's remaining Focke-Wulf Fw 190D "Dora" fighters landed at Flensburg. The airfield was packed with hundreds of retreating German aircraft, personnel, and members of the newly formed Flensburg Government. Fuel was so desperately scarce that routine operations were impossible, and many aircraft had to be towed into hiding places around the airfield perimeter using horses or manual labor to save petrol
Even on the day of their arrival, May 3, 1945, the war was not entirely over for some pilots. Elements of the wing flew their very last combat missions of World War II from Flensburg. Elite pilots, including highly decorated aces, engaged in final, hopeless dogfights against Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Tempests scouring northern Germany.
This is a near complete but empty and inert totally rare Japanese late war, emergency production rifle grenade which has been crudely made with basic steel case with a screw in base.
The case is missing its wood or bakelite-style plug with hole for the fuse at one end. And its small plug at the other. The grenade has none of its original black paintwork or original colouring. The steel case is pitted but solid, with no rust-through holes, and has been carefully cleaned. In nice relic condition but has corroded slightly but it is sturdy, not friable, and ideal for display or any militaria collection. The rifle grenade was recovered in the 1980's and has been in a private collection ever since it was originally found in an old Japanese defensive position on the island of Guam from the 1944 battle in the Pacific. It comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with many pictures and map.
The Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) was the successful American amphibious campaign to recapture the island of Guam from the Empire of Japan. Guam had been a prewar US territory since 1898 but was captured by the Japanese in December 1941. The 21-day battle was a key pillar of Operation Forager during the wider Pacific campaign of World War II.
Recently Added Relics & Militaria
This is a nice and unusual find from the battlefield which is a group of blown apart British mills bomb grenade outer case sections which are nice condition relics and there are 5 sections in all. These are outer case sections only with no internal parts which are empty and inert, the case sections are rusty and pitted with no original black paintwork and are perfect for display or any collection. The grenade parts were recovered from the area of Schwaben Redoubt near Thiepval on the Somme Battlefield of June to October 1916.The parts come with a A5 laminated information card with pictures and map.
The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt (Schwaben-Feste) was a tactical incident in the Battle of the Somme, 1916. The redoubt was a German strong point 500–600 yd (460–550 m) long and 200 yd (180 m) wide, built-in stages since 1915, near the village of Thiepval, overlooking the River Ancre. It formed part of the German defensive system in the Somme sector of the Western Front and consisting of a mass of machine-gun emplacements, trenches and dug outs. The redoubt was defended by the 26th Reserve Division, from Swabia in south-west Germany, which had arrived in the area during the first battle of Albert in 1914. Troops of the 36th Ulster Division captured the redoubt on 1 July 1916, until forced out by German bombardments and counter-attacks after night had fallen. The British kept the area of the redoubt under bombardment until 3 September, when the 49th West Riding Division attacked the area from the west, in a morning fog. The 36th Division infantry got across no man's land but were defeated, when German artillery and machine gun fire swept the Irish troops and German infantry counter-attacked from the flanks, using hand grenades. In late September, the British gained a footing in the redoubt, during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge (26–28 September). Attack and counterattack followed until 14 October, when troops of the 39th Division, captured the last German foothold in the redoubt and repulsed German counterattacks from 15–21 October 1916.
This is a nice and unusual find from the battlefield which is a group of blown apart British mills bomb grenade outer case sections which are nice condition relics and there are 5 sections in all. These are outer case sections only with no internal parts which are empty and inert, the case sections are rusty and pitted with no original black paintwork and are perfect for display or any collection. The grenade parts were recovered from the area of Schwaben Redoubt near Thiepval on the Somme Battlefield of June to October 1916.The parts come with a A5 laminated information card with pictures and map.
The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt (Schwaben-Feste) was a tactical incident in the Battle of the Somme, 1916. The redoubt was a German strong point 500–600 yd (460–550 m) long and 200 yd (180 m) wide, built-in stages since 1915, near the village of Thiepval, overlooking the River Ancre. It formed part of the German defensive system in the Somme sector of the Western Front and consisting of a mass of machine-gun emplacements, trenches and dug outs. The redoubt was defended by the 26th Reserve Division, from Swabia in south-west Germany, which had arrived in the area during the first battle of Albert in 1914. Troops of the 36th Ulster Division captured the redoubt on 1 July 1916, until forced out by German bombardments and counter-attacks after night had fallen. The British kept the area of the redoubt under bombardment until 3 September, when the 49th West Riding Division attacked the area from the west, in a morning fog. The 36th Division infantry got across no man's land but were defeated, when German artillery and machine gun fire swept the Irish troops and German infantry counter-attacked from the flanks, using hand grenades. In late September, the British gained a footing in the redoubt, during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge (26–28 September). Attack and counterattack followed until 14 October, when troops of the 39th Division, captured the last German foothold in the redoubt and repulsed German counterattacks from 15–21 October 1916.
This is a unusual find from the battlefield as these spanners are rare to find. A British No23 rifle grenade mills bomb base spanner it is complete but rusty. The spanner is in relic but solid condition and has been very well cleaned perfect for display or a unusual bit for any collection. The spanner was recovered a hundred years later then it was lost in woods near the village of Flers the first village captured using tanks on the Somme battlefield September 1916.The spanner comes with 2x A5 laminated information cards with map and many pictures.
The British 41st Division was to attack Flers and had most tanks, four for the Longueval–Flers road and six to attack the middle and west side of the village. On the right flank the 124th Brigade attacked with two battalions forward and two in support, having assembled in no man's land. The advance began at zero hour and Tea Support Trench and the Switch Line fell relatively easily by 7:00 a.m. and Flers Trench at 7:50 a.m. At 3:20 p.m. a large party of infantry reached Bulls Road and linked with the 122nd Brigade on the left but attacks on Gird Trench failed. The 122nd Brigade had attacked with two battalions and two in support, reaching the Switch Line by 6:40 a.m. and the on to Flers Trench. Tank D15 was knocked out near the Switch Line, D14 ditched near Flers and D18 was damaged by a shell at Flers Trench but managed to withdraw. D16 entered Flers at 8:20a.m. followed by troops of the 122nd Brigade, D6, D9 and D17 driving along the eastern fringe of the village, destroying strong points and machine-gun nests. By 10:00 a.m. the surviving Bavarians made a run for Geuedecourt.
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This is a totally rare find from the battlefield a armour piercing projectile 8.8cm, KwK36, L/56 double driving band which was fired by German Tiger 1 tank which is complete but its ballistic cap has squashed properly from being dumped in the lake. The projectile is in nice condition with no base plug or markings on the bottom but is still has some original black paintwork remains it still has its pair of steel colour driving bands in place and complete the outer case is only lightly pitted with no holes but does have a little bit of damage and pitting but nothing to bad The projectile is completely empty and inert it has been well cleaned and overall perfect condition for display and very rare one for any collection. The projectile was recovered from a lake East of Bastogne in the Ardennes Forest from the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45. The projectile comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with many pictures and map also drawings.
The projectile was recovered from a lake which was used as a dump site for battlefield clearance the area where the lake is, was attacked by the German 26th Volksgrenadier Division and elements of the Panzer Lehr Division they had the only Panzer 4 tanks in the area.